Different kind of defeat

Digest Staff

12/05/2004

The Dolphins didn't have any problems putting up points on Sunday, but they couldn't stop Buffalo and once again turned the ball over way too many times, and the result was a 42-32 loss to the Bills at Pro Player Stadium.

Symptomatic of the whole season, the Bills clinched the victory when defensive tackle Pat Williams snagged a short pass from A.J. Feeley and ran the interception back 20 yards for a touchdown at the two-minute warning.

It was part of an up-and-down day for Feeley, who was on fire in the first quarter when he threw three touchdown passes but finished with five interceptions.

The Dolphins as a team finished with seven turnovers, the other two coming when Wes Welker fumbled on a punt return and later when Leonard Henry couldn't get a handle on a handoff from Feeley in the second half.

The game began with Terrence McGee returning the opening kickoff 104 yards to give Buffalo a quick 7-0 lead.

But then Feeley took over, throwing touchdown passes to Donald Lee, Bryan Gilmore and Chris Chambers as Miami led 21-14 after the first quarter.

But the offense didn't do anything else until the fourth quarter.

By then, the Bills had taken a 35-24 lead thanks mostly to the passing of Drew Bledsoe.

Bledsoe threw four touchdown passes, including a 69-yard bomb to Lee Evans, who took advantage of a mental mistake by free safety Arturo Freeman.

The Dolphins closed the gap to 35-32 on Travis Minor's 2-yard after a successful instant replay challenge overturned a Buffalo interception.

The Dolphins got a final chance after getting the ball back at their own 2-yard line with 3:06 left and got a first down on a 19-yard completion from Feeley to Derrius Thompson before the interception return for a touchdown, the seventh against the Dolphins this season.